


Why are you so Nice?

by WintersIce



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Complete, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-24 21:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2597072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WintersIce/pseuds/WintersIce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is just something odd about Naegi. He isn't like all of the other people Fukawa has known in her miserable life. He has never tried to make a fool out of her like so many others have. He has never made her feel like she shouldn't exist. He's always kind to her, always trying to include her in things, and always understanding. She just didn't quite know why this was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why are you so Nice?

For as long as Fukawa Touko can remember, people have always tried to make a fool of her. It's just the unfortunate way people in the real world are. They are just cruel creatures whose desire is to screw with the functioning of her damaged brain, unlike in her delusions. They are meant to ridicule her, ruin her always bad mood, and make her feel even more atrocious than usual. They never have any compassion for her, all because she isn't like them. She isn't the happy type like them, she never knows what the latest things going on are, and she can't speak like them for she's always stumbling over her word choices. The way she is just doesn't mesh well with the rest of humanity and the functioning of a proper society. It's entirely her own fault that she isn't like them, and she's completely to blame for not fitting in with everyone else.

So in the end it makes sense why she is the sole lone person of the class. Sure, Kirigiri and her beloved Byakuya-sama can be thrown into the same category as her from their usually quite dispositions. She isn't like them though, she can't ever be for she is the lowest person-a parasite basically-on the whole planet. Byakuya-sama is always right when he tells her she's a worthless person who shouldn't even be allowed to breathe. Maybe that's why she likes him so much, he tells her just how things are and doesn't hide his dislikement of her. He doesn't hide anything from her and just insults her in every way she deserves. Everything he tells her is the absolute truth because she is trash, a product that isn't needed by anyone what so ever. The only worth she has is in her writing, but that doesn't mean she is needed for anything else. As such, she accepts her fate of being alone, for it is all her fault for being unable to understand people. Her inability to understand other people, to communicate properly, that is why they end up detesting her so much. All in life she needs is paper, a pen, and the insults she deserves from her wonderful Byakuya-sama. She doesn't need any "friends" who in the end would just betray her and make her feel horrendous. No matter how enticing the idea of having companions may be, she knows quite well that in the end she'll get stabbed all over by their malicious words.

Even so, when everyone in the class knows she doesn't need or deserves any friends, why does he always talk to her? Naegi is unquestionably an odd ball for always wanting to talk to her when he notices her alone during their lunch and breaks. It isn't like she wants anyone to talk to, she's just fine with writing, reading, or following her master around like a pathetic little puppy. It's simply the life she's lead for so long, something she's accustomed to. She has never been able to understand why he wants to speak to a disgusting freak like her, especially considering she never knows what to say. She never knows how to correctly respond to his inquires, and to her it always seems like he is trying to make a fool out of her. Even so, he has never laughed at her words, always responding in an understanding and gentle fashion. He has never had his buddies hiding somewhere, filming the exchange so they could laugh at it later or try putting it up on the internet. Every time she expects someone to come out of nowhere to criticize her wording and responses to the boy, they would never appear. Every time he shares his food with her, she always believes she is going to end up bleeding from the mouth and die because he hates her so much. Obviously that never happens, but she always think it could happen someday. Every time he suggests they go and walk around town on their day off or after school, she is expecting him to leave her in a bad part of town or hand her over to sexual deviants while he watches with a smirk. He never did that of course, for he always stays by her side when they are out and about and makes sure nothing bad happens to her wellbeing. One time she almost got hit by a car because she got caught up in one of her fantasies in the middle of the street, and if it wasn't for him she would be either in the ground or in a hospital right now.

Today isn’t any different from all of those outlandishly entertaining days. The library room inside the academy is always a quiet and peaceful place. Books line the shelves throughout the room, ranging from people like Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, to Osamu Dazai, Ryōtarō Shiba, and Jun Ishikawa. Most of the students show no interest in the library, for they are either busy in the rec room playing idiotic games or running around outside. The only people she really runs into is Fujisaki reading through programming books, and Byakuya-sama. He of course gets up and leaves the moment he notices her, always glaring at her coldly and demanding she must leave him be. Besides them, some upper classmen do show up from time to time. It’s mostly a blond girl who is always reading through occultist books with her odd looking and speaking companion. How he gets away with having his hamsters with him in the building is beyond her comprehension.

Naegi came up to her after class that typically bland day and asked if she wanted to hang out somewhere. As of late this is something he has been asking a lot, though she can't ever come up with a reason for why this is so. Every time he comes up to her, she just can't say no for whatever reason. She doesn’t really understand why she can't do it, even though her gut keeps on telling her to say no. Their is just something about that smile on his face, the kind gaze emanating from his eyes that makes her say yes. Something about it is just so mesmerizing that she began to question just what is wrong with her, or more preciously what else is wrong with her. She has even started to believe she actually _enjoys_ spending time with him, that she found someone she enjoys to waste her time with besides her books and writings. Naegi is a different type of person, he never seems like he is going to make a fool out of her like all of those other people she thought she could be friends with. Even though she always feels like he is going to do something cruel out of a subconscious fear, a rational part of her keeps on telling her he isn't the type. That he generally cares about her, that he wants to talk with her, that he enjoys being with her for who she is. Hell, thanks to this overly kind boy who always seems to be trying to cheer people up on a bad day, she is slowly losing her delusions that allows her to write.

Fukawa turns her head to look at the strange boy who has taken such an interest in her during their time in this abnormal school. He’s sitting at a table looking through some random book that he pulled off the shelf on the far left. Knowing him, it’s probably some slice of life story with a generic protagonist trying to help out a girl with some sort of problem. She is standing a bit away from him, her lean back near the bookshelves facing the entrance, all the while grasping her notebook filled with her writings closely to her body. They often come here, to both look over and talk about books or so he can look over her work. He’s always fascinated with how things are going, if she is enjoying herself, or if it is going to publish another book someday. That is another strange thing about him, he is extremely interested in her work for some mysterious reason he never told her. Besides some random yet kind comments from Asahina about how her work is going, Fujisaki is the only other person who has ever showed any interest. She is too weak, fragile, to be able to make a fool out of her. It’s nice actually, to know there are other weak people like her, people who just aren't capable of things others can do. The only difference between them is that Fujisaki isn't trash like her, Fujisaki's life accomplishes something that is actually used by society. It's not like people actually needs her books for anything significant, it’s just something people enjoys. Things that only exist for entertainment aren't as necessary as things everyone can use, like the codes created by Fujisaki. For all she knows, the small programmer could create such a program that could help humanity in some way or shape.

For some odd reason Naegi hasn’t said a single word to her since they came in. He seems to be absorbed in the thick book in his hand, flipping through the pages intently, scanning all of the characters into his cranium. Her brain is telling her he is up to no good, that this is just some sort of set up simply because of his silence. That he is going to do something to make her seem like a fool, like so many people have done to her in the past. They act like they are being nice, that they want to spend time with her, but when she isn’t expecting it they go and attack like vicious cougars. People make fun of her all of the time, so it wouldn't be surprising if he tries the same thing. Though a tiny bit of her mind tells her he wouldn't do so, that he is too kind for such a thing, that he isn't like the rest of them. Why would he have gotten close to her in the first place? No one has ever gotten this close to her of their own free will, no one has ever seemed so interested in her books, and no one has ever wanted to know anything about her, about the quiet girl whose life has been wretched.

 _“No, no, no! He must have done this so he could make a fool out of me! That's the only reason why he became my friend at all! He did it so when he does make a fool out of me it'll be even worse! He'll have more gratification from my pain all the while knowing I actually consider him a friend! Why did I ever say that he was my only friend! Why in that moment of weakness I had to open my big mouth! Gah, stupid stupid me!"_ is the wild thoughts rushing through her brain as both her persecution and inferiority complex kicks in. This is a common thing with Fukawa, whenever she feels like she’s going to be ridiculed, she starts to berate herself while biting down on her lip. She ends up calling herself imprudent, blame herself for accidentally calling him a friend, and come up with some sort of situation that would never happen because he isn't like everyone else who has done her wrong. It’s like some sort of game, to see who could make her suffer the most, right? That it’s what she has been told before. It’s at times like these when she feels threaten she forgets about how kind he is and succumbs to her fear. A fear that has been plaguing for her as long as she could remember.

It’s at that moment Naegi happens to move his eyes over to her. She of course doesn’t notice, she is too focused on things that are never going to happen. It is as if she has no faith in him, that she thought he is going betray her just so he can enjoy her despair. He watches as her face twists with anger over her foolish thoughts, as her body tenses up as she runs through the different possibilities. Her grip on the notebook filled with surprisingly bright and happy stories looks deadly, as if she is going to tear it to shreds. He has lost count of how many times she has gotten like this around him. He does something that is normal, but in her mind she jumps to conclusions that he's trying to make a fool of her. He can't blame her though, considering how many times she thought she could actually have a friend, but then get stabbed in the back. It’s when she gets like this, when she is filled with nothing but fear coursing violently through her body, he wants to hug her. All he wants to do is take her into his arms and not let her go until her trembling vanishes into the sky. To tell her that he isn't going to hurt her, that he is going to stay by her side so she can have someone to confine in, that he wants to see her happy. That’s something he would love to see, her being happy and smiling brightly like the heroines inside the stories she never wants to show to others.

 _"He's going to have all of his buddies pop out and mess with me! They'll say that this whole time he was doing this because they dared him to! He'll come out and say he hates me! That this was just a game, that he doesn't care about me at all! Who would blame him though, I'm nothing but trash. Dirty, repulsive, foul trash that makes everyone want to screw with me!"_ she yells viciously in her mind. She feels the dread swell up inside her stomach, a feeling she knows far too well. Nothing but accusations are flying through her mind as her body starts to shake as those coarse thoughts ran all over her body like a gigantic tremor. When she jumped to conclusions before about him they were bad, but now it seems like it keeps on getting worse. That the pain in her chest keeps on intensifying as she imagines Naegi saying he despises her very being, that he wants absolutely nothing to do with a wretched thing like her. She doesn’t know just why it hurts so much as she envisions him in her mind, a demonic smirk crossing his soft features, a murky shade in his eyes, and all of those words. Dear God, she can just hear the things he would say to her, his soft tone filled with nothing but wickedness towards her being. Every single of his words oozing with the most resilient venom in all of human existence, everyone slowly killing her. Her legs began to give way as she continus to be lost in the ghastly illusion inside her mind, and she could feel tears starting to swell up in her eyes. She starts to question why she even thought he could be a true friend, a thing she did too much. She then questions just why in the hell this was hurting her just so much when she doesn’t have a good reason for this anxiety taking control over her body. Perhaps it’s because he came closest to being an actual companion?

"Fukawa, I'm not trying to do anything mean to you, I swear," she hears Naegi say in his usual sweet and sincere voice. It’s just something about that voice she came to like so much, it has such a soothing affect. It’s thanks to his voice that she is brought out of her dark fantasy, and notices his shoes near hers, meaning he'd move, but when? When did she even move her gaze to the floor? Was she just so absorbed in her fictional images that she didn't notice or even hear a single squeak out of the boy? Fukawa doesn’t move her head, her large glasses slouching down her nose slightly, and her stomach still clinging to its usual fear. She just doesn't know what to do, or why she’s feeling worse than usual. She just wants to vent her frustrations at him, and then run off into her dorm room, lock the door and curl up into a ball and wish for death.

He emits a sigh, something that’s certainly nothing new to her. He always seems to do that when she did something odd, but none of his words that follows ever have any malice. It isn't long after that she feels him pull away her glasses slowly off of her face. This action is the only reason she pulls up her face to see his. He has a compassionate smile plastered over his soft features, a thing she has grown far too accustomed to, but she isn't complaining. It’s always refreshing to see it, for if she gazed at it for too long she would start to feel better. It’s like his face is some type of herb that can cure anxiety and dispel despair. She lowers her head slightly again to notice her glasses are being held gingerly in his left hand. The action from him is odd, what’s the point to take them off? When she returns her gaze to him, he is still wearing his kind smile, and no traces of hatred can be seen. She then feels his right hand wiping away some tears from her left eye while speaking, "You know, I think by now you should trust me enough to know I'm not going to hurt you." In between those words he motions his hand to her other eye. This is surprising to her, she didn’t even notice she was sheading any tears. Her delusion was horrifying, but just why did it make her cry? It hurt, it most certainly did, but just why? Is the thought of him betraying her that harsh on her psyche?

"I'm not like all of those people who were mean to you in the past. I'm not going to pull some sort of prank on you, or make you feel terrible," he explains sweetly, his eyes pure like a bunch of fluffy clouds. At times like these, she wonders who has a purer soul, him or Fujisaki, "So you don't have to worry, alright? You don't have to get worked up because I'm not going to do anything to you. Not now, not ever," he speaks while turning his head ever so slightly to the right as his hand lingers on her face. His words were unquestionably genuine, and his warmth is relaxing. Fukawa then takes note that this is the first time a boy, or anyone besides her family members for that matter, has ever touched her face. It’s actually nice having human contact. The only contact she has ever had was cold, abrasive, and totally insensible.

She watches his movements attentively, waiting to see if a sly smirk would appear, or if slight chuckles would appear from somewhere. To see if this is all some sort of act he was performing for the invisible audience inside of all these books. They never came, something she really should be used to by now. She doesn’t know how long they just exchanged looks, hers hesitant and shaky while his reassuring and strong. She never imagined that Naegi could give off such a look. He always seem so weak, the type of person that could be easily broken. After some time has passed, she finally spoke up, "Naegi, w-why ar-are you always so nice to me? I-I don't un-understand any of this." She just couldn't come to comprehend just what is driving him to such lengths to be so compassionate, thoughtful, understanding, and so many other things to a person like her. No one has ever treated her like an actual living person before, so why is it that he decided to do something so many people have never done before?

He turns his head again, but this time to the left. The look on his face is basically asking why she even asked him that in the first place, as if the answer is obvious. She already knows what the answer is somewhere in her soul, but she always falter on her reliance towards the term. He responds simply, as if the answer is as clear as both the ocean and sky, "It's because we're friends. I care about you because you're my dear friend Fukawa, and I don't have any ulterior motives for my kindness. I just want you to feel happy and safe. That’s just what friends do, they want each other to be happy and stick by their sides till the very end."

She heard him say it many times, even she said the same thing to him before once or twice on some sort of impulse. Every time Fukawa hears those truthful words, her fear just dissipates into air. It’s reassuring to hear him say those words, to see his light green eyes shine brightly, and to feel his hand against her face. The warmth of a human is something she always write about, yet she has never experience the feeling for herself. This strange feeling she senses when he is like this, when he’s just being so kind and endearing, it’s just so wonderful. It always make her feel better, even though she would jump to some type of accusation created by her self-conscious fear. While looking at the boy whose best skill is luck, she gives him an oddly formed smile. Maybe one day she'll remember he's nice to her from the depth of his heart, and that she does have a friend. Funny, she has been through this scenarios before, yet she still ended up having doubts about his actions.

He returns her odd smile, which helps reassure her even more. That maybe this time is the last time she’ll get frightened around him, "Now that's better. I'll be by your side, and I'm not going to betray you. I’m not that kind of person after all. So then, Fukawa please stop jumping to conclusions that I'm going to hurt you. I want you to learn how to trust others, but right now I just want you to trust me. I’m sure if you find a way to put your faith in me, you’ll be able to do that with others," with those words his cheeks tinted a light pink shade. It isn't often that he gets like this, but it’s certainty a nice thing to see. He always seems like the type who would say encouraging words, but also the type who would be embarrassed about the whole thing.

"That's easier said than d-done!" she yells at him, remembering all of the times her trust was betrayed. People have always been cruel and abusive towards her, so just how can she trust people? A tiny part of her mind, a little part unfazed by all of her fears, says that he’s a good person to start with. That he’s worthy of her trust, for he’s her one and only true friend. That he is the only person who has ever been truly kind to her from his own free will. That for once she can have a friend who truly cares about her, something she has wanted since she was a small child. Even though she knows this, her fear is still ever evident. Her eyes have been locked with his for a while, as if it would help reassure her and would help her make the right decision. Even so she breaks away and looks down to the wooden floor, and after thinking about it she speaks in a hesitant tone, "I-if it's just y-you though, I guess I can try." She’s split between jumping for joy and wanting to say never, but she settled for the middle. She can hide both her happiness and fear and say she'll give it a shot. The idea of someone having faith in her, that someone truly believes in her, it’s truly amazing. Not once has she ever felt like this!

"That's great!" he responds in a louder voice than he intended, "Then hopefully you'll gain more trust in others. Remember, people aren't always trying to hurt you. There are some people who want to be your friend. I understand talking to people is hard, but as long as you have faith in yourself and others, it starts to get easier!" His words are truly passionate, and his eyes are filled with complete confidence. It seems like he just wants to help push her forwards towards a life where she can be comfortable with others. A life where she isn't hiding in a corner and being afraid of others.

She moves her eyes back over to Naegi, looking at just how happy he was. He’s just so joyful that she willing to trust him, wanting to rely on him, to be able to talk to him about her problems. Maybe other people wants to be friends with her, but he’s the only one she’ll really try to trust. He’s the only one who is determined to become close to her, to gain trust out of her, a thing so rare. No one has never tried to do so with such determination, so it would be fair to reward him for all of his work. Though she did have a question lingering around.

"Why are you so h-happy?" she asks in a low tone, wondering just why he seems so giddy about knowing how she would try (not like it bothered her deep down) to trust him. Why would a person get so worked up over the idea of being able to help someone? He wants to be there for her, so shouldn't she be the one looking like that? Why was it him who is so ecstatic about knowing she’s willing to trust and try to remember his words? It should be her being happy for not having to worry about freaking out over her uncertainties around him.

His eyes quickly turn towards the bookshelves on the right side of the room, seemingly embarrassed by her question. This surprises her, but something about this just seems sweet, the type of sweetness one would find in some teen romance. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words came, leaving him gaping like a fish. She actually giggled mentally at this event, and after some time he’s finally able to say, "I want you to care about me like I do you. I hate it when you question my actions, question if I actually care about you, question if what I’m doing is because I want to hurt you. I want you to trust me, like I do you. It would make me feel better knowing that you had faith in me, that you actually see me as a true friend."

She’s surprised by this, for its most definitely like something out of a romance novel. He truly does care about her, for that look on his face is enough to prove it. He’s happy to know that she'll try to have the same faith he has in her, to feel the same emotions. All he wants is to have the emotions he sends to her to be returned fully. None of the males who wanted to make a fool out of her ever had a look like that. All she saw in them was uninterested malice aimed at her. She may not know or understand real people, but through her works she knows when a character is being truly sincere. It’s a new concept to her life, but she likes it completely. She especially likes his embarrassed appearance, it just makes him look cute. Now this is a first, she never thought that little Naegi could be considered cute. He truly is changing the way she perceives things, even if it’s a little bit at a time.

With Naegi's face still turned away from hers, she notices his blush glowing brighter on his face. She makes another smile at that, though a normal person could clarify it as creepy. She then notices how his hand is still resting gently on her face, as if he forgot he place it there. At this moment an odd thought crosses her equally oddly functioning brain. She pulls a hand away from her notebook that needs a break from the abuse and grabs his wrist lightly and pulls it away slightly. Fukawa examines his hand, wondering what she should do next. She notices how his hand looks like a girls, completely free of any callouses and sores. It’s entirely different from her own hand, for she has developed many callous from her using her pen too much. They are two completely different types of people who have lived completely different lives. He turns his head over to her, calls out to her while pondering much like her. When he calls her, she enjoys the way it rolled off his tongue. It just seems so gentle, filled with actual human emotion, something just so foreign to her. She continues this act, wondering just why she’s willing to find a way to put all of her faith in this mousy, yet kind boy who actually cares for trash like her. It’s nice, just so nice to have this happy feeling dancing around her usually dread filled stomach. It always helps to push away all of her fears, those dark illusions, and perhaps this happiness could take its place.

She then pulls her hand away from his wrist, but to Naegi's surprise, she presses her palm against his. She then entwined her fingers with his, basking in the warmth of his hand. It's funny, their hands are completely different yet they fit together quite nicely. She could barely remember the warmth of her families’ hands, that is of course if there was any to start with. This feeling though, this sensation of complete warmth and hope, it’s completely new to her. Even so, she can’t help but feel like she can become addicted to it. She takes in a deep breath, preparing herself to speak. She hates to talk, the words just never come out right and she always feel like a fool. Since this is Naegi though, she feels a little bit more confident, "I'll do my best since y-you care so much, b-but this doesn't mean I like you better th-then Byakuya-sama. I'm j-just doing this because I want y-you to be happy too. I want my first friend to be happy, like how y-you make me feel happy and warm." She can't remember the last time anyone wished happiness onto her, but this is the first time she did so for another person. Let alone a person who may beat her master in her affection level someday. With this new-found feeling she silently prayes that Genocider doesn't appear and ruin everything. She has a chance for happiness, and she certainly doesn't want Syo killing Naegi.

He smiles and chuckles at her typical words, all the while enjoying the small warmth from her hand. It’s nice to know that he has finally managed to get through to her, that she’s going to accept him as a friend. In the midst of this, he hopes she'll get over her odd obsession of Togami. It certainly isn’t a healthy thing, and Togami can only put up with her so much before he’ll do who knows what. Plus, he can’t help but feel a little jealous towards the heir. It’s certainly odd how he’s romantically interested in such a person. Maybe he just has a thing for girls who need a good guy to depend on. His sister always tells him he’s an easy person to relay on, and that he’s going to end up with a person who really needs a kind guy in their life. He didn't mind if that would be the outcome of his outcome with this girl.

"You're welcome Fukawa," he replies happily, "I'm glad you and I are feeling the same thing right now." That's all he wants for now, for her to feel the same emotions as him. To know that she can place her trust into him. To know whenever she has a problem, he'll be there for her. That no matter the situation he'll be around, "Just remember, you can trust me. Whenever you need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you. That's what true friends are for after all."


End file.
